The world is in the midst of the most severe pandemic in living memory. Scientists dubbed the pandemic’s
source “severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2” (SARS-CoV-2), but it is more commonly referred
by the label assigned the disease it causes: coronavirus disease 2019 or “COVID-19”. COVID-19 spread
rapidly at a historic scale and with unprecedented impacts.
The conventional conception of public policy casts it as encompassing both decisions and non-decisions of
governments. As a reflection of societal values and priorities, public policies can take a “traditional” form,
such as law, regulation, executive order, local ordinance, and court decision (among others). They can also
take the form of on-the-ground regularized choices by frontline bureaucrats. In all these forms, public
policies represent priorities of a society and they, in turn, shape society.
Instructions: Utilize the steps in the policymaking process and describe how you would develop a policy to
address the COVID-19 pandemic. You will write a comprehensive response that addresses each step in
that process. Note, you are not to develop an actual policy. However, you are to demonstrate that you
understand as a public health practitioner that you know how policies are developed, implemented, and
evaluated. As Ph.D. students, the expectation is that you will write sufficiently, and your thoughts will be
coherent. For the assignment now sources are required, all the information should come from your
knowledge and understanding of the content covered in this course